Speakers

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Jeffrey M. Trent, Ph.D.

Cancer Genetics BranchNational Human Genome Research Institute49 Convent Drive, MSC 4470Building 49, Room 4A22Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4470USA

Jeffrey M. Trent, Ph.D., is Scientific Director of the NationalHuman Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), and also serves asChief of NHGRI’s Cancer Genetics Branch. He is also an AdjunctProfessor of Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University. He spe-cializes in studying the molecular changes related to the predis-position and progression of cancer. After earning his undergrad-uate degree from Indiana University, Dr. Trent received M.S. andPh.D. degrees in genetics from the University of Arizona. Priorto his arrival at the NIH, Dr. Trent was the Emanuel N. MaiselProfessor of Oncology and Professor of Radiation Oncology andHuman Genetics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Healso served as Director of the Division of Cancer Biology, andDirector of Basic Sciences in the University of Michigan’sComprehensive Cancer Center. In 1993, Dr. Trent came to theNational Human Genome Research Institute to establish anddirect its Division of Intramural Research. Under his guidance,the division has become a major research center in humangenetics.

Mining melanoma with microarrays

The development and progression of cancer is accompanied by complexchanges in patterns of gene expression. In the USA, malignant neo-plasms of the skin are the most common cancers of humankind.Incidence rates of melanoma have risen especially steeply since the mid-1970s with an almost complete absence of significant advances in non-surgical treatment of advanced malignant melanoma over this time peri-od. Efforts to reduce mortality must rely on earlier diagnosis, but also onunderstanding the biology and genetics of this difficult disease. We haveused high-density microarrays to search for differences in gene expres-sion profiles associated with melanoma. Applications of multiple dataanalysis and integration methods including multidimensional scaling torepresent the relationships among cell lines and tumor biopsies will bepresented in order to document a consistent pattern of gene expressioncharacterizing a subset of these cancers. This information will be relat-ed to clinical and known biologic information. These data are providingthe leads for further investigation of the genetic basis of the tumorigenicphenotype of melanocytic lesions.

© 1999 Nature America Inc. • http://genetics.nature.com©

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